Management software can include user interfaces (UIs) and/or graphical user interfaces (GUIs) for managing, monitoring, viewing, and/or configuring one or more components (e.g., physical resources and/or virtual resources) within or associated with a computing system, e.g., a backend computing system separate from the management software. Such management software can include data collection functionality for obtaining and providing information about specific elements or entities in the computing system. For example, management software may use hard-coded software (e.g., drivers) to gather configuration information and/or other data about a component, e.g., a storage disk or processor, in a computing system. However, since data collection functionality in management software is generally hard-coded for each managed component, such data collection mechanisms are generally inefficient, cumbersome, and/or error-prone.